The Normal West boys tennis team is off to a strong start, opening the season with a 4-0 record.
The Wildcats swept Lincoln before spring break and then won three more matches during a weekend trip to Edwardsville.
“We are off to a good start. We played a regular dual match against Lincoln the week before spring break and won 9-0, and this past weekend we went down for an overnight trip in Edwardsville and beat Alton Flora and Highland,” Head coach Drew Emerick said.
The Wildcats continue to make a lot of improvements.
For example, Sophomore Adam Hoskins was 25th out of 25 players, but after working hard over the winter, he jumped all the way to 7th on the team and now plays varsity 4th singles.
“He pretty much did a 180 from where he was at last year. I’m super proud of him,” Emerick said.
Senior captain Dane Schlipmann leads the team at the top singles spot.
“Playing number one singles is the most difficult position because you have to play the best player from every team,” Emerick noted.
Schlipmann continues to be at the top of the lineup, taking on the tough role in high school tennis.
In addition to Hoskins and Schlipmann, several players trained over the winter.
“We had a lot of kids come a long way on the offseason, which doesn’t really happen here at Normal West. We’re just now starting to get kids interested in tennis in the offseason, so I’m super proud of them,” Emerick added.
Overall, Emerick wants his players to enjoy tennis, but he also has clear goals for the team.
“My main goal is always for the kids to enjoy themselves, but anything less than a third-place finish in conference would be a letdown,” he noted.
Emerick knows that once they learn to enjoy the game, the work will come second.
“The most important skill in tennis is the serve; if you can’t get a serve in, it’s like missing free throws in a basketball game,” Emerick stated.
Freshman Benjamin Angelov-Ritter, the team’s second singles player, impressed the coaching staff by helping win a big match in Edwardsville.
I wasn’t too worried about Dane handling the pressure as a senior, but for a freshman to come through in a big third-set tiebreaker. The was a good sign,” Emerick added.
The boys will take on Urbana tonight, April 14, and then will go head-to-head with sister school, Normal Community on Thursday, April 16.
Normal west lineup
Singles
Senior, Dane Schlipmann
Freshman, Ben Angelov-Ritter
Senior, Tyler Cunningham
Junior, Owen Holder
Junior, Eli Maulding
Junior, Grant Marvel
Doubles
Schlipmann & Ritter
Cunningham & Holder
Maulding & Hoskins
